Review of Kindle edition of a Krentz romantic-suspense novel originally published in 2001Dawn in Eclipse Bay is Book 2 in a trilogy of three, contemporary, romantic-suspense novels. The first book is Eclipse Bay. The third book is Summer in Eclipse Bay. Since this is a trilogy, this book is not nearly as enjoyable without reading the first book. It allows the reader to understand the backstory of the feud between the Hartes and the Madisons (which is described below).I checked out a Kindle copy of this book through my local library, and the publisher required a rather onerous USB download. The formatting is oddly done with double-spacing between every paragraph. This might actually have made the book easier to read if it weren't for one big editing error--quite frequently the publisher has failed to keep dialog together with its attribution, so that it becomes confusing as to who is speaking. Other than that, there were no glaring problems with editing.The events in this book take place several months after Lillian Harte's sister Hannah has married Gabe Madison's brother Rafe. Thirty-year-old Lillian is on the verge of shutting down her successful computer-program-based matchmaking business when 35-year-old Gabe insists on hiring her services. Reluctantly she takes him on as her final client. Unfortunately, he is the client from hell. He has been promised six dates, and his first five are, in his opinion, a disaster, even though Lillian has given him exactly what he has asked for. Lillian informs him that his list of requirements in a wife sound like he wants to marry a robot, and furthermore she is convinced he has lied in answer to every aspect of her questionnaire other than when he states he does not want an "artsy" wife.Before all this happened, Lilian was attracted to Gabe at her sister's wedding, but after having Gabe as a client, she decides there is no chance of anything romantic ever happening between them because she is a dedicated artist who is leaving her business to move to Eclipse Bay and paint full time. When workaholic Gabe unexpectedly takes his first vacation in years and shows up on her doorstep in Eclipse Bay, she is taken completely by surprise and has no idea why he has chosen to rent a cabin within walking distance of hers for an entire month. To make matters worse, her mother, grandfather, Gabe's grandfather, and Gabe's ex-girlfriend who is a highly ambitious politician, are all sticking their oars into the turbulent waters of her connection with Gabe, and the whole, gossipy town is avidly looking on to witness the outcome of yet another pairing of a Madison and a Harte.My favorite JAK books are the ones with lots of witty repartee between the hero and heroine, and this book definitely has some of that, though not as much as Eclipse Bay. It's still a quite enjoyable book, even though the hero and heroine are upstaged by Hannah and Rafe from Book 1. The town of Eclipse Bay and its quirky inhabitants are a joy to read about, and JAK provides her signature style of romance, a battle of wills between two equals paired with a subplot of a mystery that they team up to solve together.For those who like thrillers or suspense that are gripping and scary, this is not that kind of book and not that kind of trilogy. The main event is definitely the romance, but if you like lighthearted romance, you will really enjoy this book.For those who have not read Book 1, here is a bit of the backstory on the Harte/Madison Feud: Eclipse Bay is a small, seaside town in Oregon where all the inhabitants know each other--and gossip is a communal sport. The most popular source of ongoing speculation for the past 40 years has been the Hartes and Madisons. Mitchell Madison and Sinclair Harte were war buddies (presumably from WWII, as Mitchell is around 80 at the time of this story, which was originally published in 2000, making him born around 1920). After the war, they went into business together and were very successful until they brawled over a woman, whom neither of them ended up with, and broke up their business. Sinclair Harte recovered well, rebuilding his own business and making a successful marriage with one son, who followed in Sinclair's footsteps in his business, made his own successful marriage, and produced three children, a son Nick, who writes thrillers and is the hero of Book 3 of this trilogy; a daughter Lillian, who is the heroine of this book; and the youngest of the three siblings and heroine of Book 1, Hannah, formerly a wedding consultant and now co-owner of a bed and breakfast in Eclipse Bay with her new husband Rafe.Mitchell Madison's life ran along a much rougher track than Sinclair Harte's. He had four failed marriages and his only child, a wildly emotional sculptor, had a long-term affair with his equally passionate model. Out of that stormy alliance came two sons, Rafe, the hero of Eclipse Bay, and his older brother Gabe. Their parents died in an accident when they were children, and they were raised by Mitchell.
Good book, just not as good as the first one. I kind of knew going in that Gabe and Lillian would wind up together. I was curious how it would come about and what sort of conflict they would find themselves in.I definitely loved these two characters though. Gabe is cocky and sure of himself, while Lillian is the same way, just more reserved showing it. They both have their little eccentricities which made them getting to know each other a little bit funny. It's plain to see that this town is messed up and not where I'd want to live! There was major conflict in the first book starring several members of the small town of Eclipse Bay, and also in this one. Overall, I can't say that I'm totally committed to finishing this series. This is pretty unusual for me, but I don't know if I care what couple hooks up next. At the end of this one, it's hinted that Nick Harte will be the next one to hook up and the juicy part is that the woman might be hooked to this family from a very distant past. It sounds a touch too far fetched!
What do You think about Dawn In Eclipse Bay (2001)?
I finished the book in less than two days. It was a fast, cute read. Lillian and Gabe were great, but I guess I wished that there should have been more moments between the two, and I guess I didn't realize how the chemistry started at all. A little more about their first meeting at the wedding would have been nice, but maybe it was there in the first book, which I haven't read, but whatever. Nonetheless, they were adorable. The suspense portion of the book...was, well, deflated. For some reason that's the word that comes to mind when I think about the suspense. It wasn't really exciting, and I found myself wanting more Lillian and Gabe scenes than anything. The other characters were okay I guess. Reading about Rafe and Hannah made me want to read the first book, and then reading about Nick and Octavia made me want to read the third. God only help me if I find the other two books at all. Oh, and the family thing was kind of annoying, like, all the time people were like 'You Madison that and you Harte this', as if their personalities are shaped and predicted according to being a Madison or a Harte, as if they have no hand in their own individual mindset and behaviour. It kind of got annoying with the people assuming their actions and thought process because he or she is a Madison or Harte. Anyway, I enjoyed the book, thankfully it was a very quick read, and I'd really like to read the other two books.
—Shraddha
This is the second installment of the Eclipse Bay trilogy and involves Lillian Harte and Gabe Madison. Gabe realizes he wants to marry and has a long list of requirements. He takes the list to Lillian’s matchmaking company, but Lillian is in the process of closing down her business to pursue a different line of business. Gabe insists on a final date he paid for, and Lillian leaves for Eclipse Bay to stay in her family’s home. Gabe follows and takes an unprecedented month off from his work. The generalizations of “like a Harte” and “like a Madison” have increased in number and prove to be a cop out on description. The characters are lively and Gabe refusing the “arty” side of himself realizes that he loves an artist. It is an interesting twist on the story and now I just want to complete the trilogy. I have no illusions that the third book will be any better than the other two, but I am highly interested in the characters now.
—Stacie M. Ritchie
2.5*If I read one more line such as, "I'm a Harte, afterall." or "It's because you're a Madison!" I will scream! The whole "Harte-Madison" feud is not only ridiculous, the way the people talk about it is like something out of junior high. While the reader hears ad nauseum about what a typical Harte or Madison is like, it should be noted that the members of the family rarely act the way they are suppose to according to the "script." I liked Gabe somewhat, but Lillian was a weak character. The plot was pointless and what little suspense was there was an afterthought. I tried this book because i was hoping that since a Harte and a Madison married at the end of the first book, the feud wouldn't be a topic of conversation in this book. Was I ever wrong! There was a set-up for the third book at the end of this one, but I'll pass. I was born a Walters after all, and we don't feel any compunction to finish what we start if it's a waste of time. ;-)
—Carrie
